Risk assessment of Ochratoxin A (OTA) exposure from coffee consumption in Indonesia using Margin of Exposure (MOE) approach.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin widely found in foodstuffs that is suspected to pose adverse health effects on humans. As one of the biggest coffee-producing countries, Indonesia face challenges in managing the OTA contamination at reasonable levels in coffee. A favorable climate for fungi growth and inappropriate food safety practices are several issues faced in Indonesia for managing the OTA contamination in coffee products. Nevertheless, studies about risk analysis exposure of OTA from coffee consumption in Indonesia is limited. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the risk of exposure to OTA from coffee consumption using the Margin of Exposure Approach (MOE) based on coffee provincial consumption data. Risk assessment using the MOE approach revealed that the OTA exposure from coffee consumption in Indonesia is generally of concern. The MOE values derived in the present study were generally below 1000. Several Indonesian provinces even have MOE values below 200, indicating a greater concern of exposure. Overall, the present study highlights the importance of food safety management in Indonesian coffee production to minimize the OTA exposure from coffee consumption.